After having worked for four months in India as a volunteer in a slum school I have settled down in Sanmenxia, China, where I'll be teaching as an English teacher at 'Sanmenxia foreign language middle school'. My name is Tony, graduate in International Economics and Finance and it is on this blog that I will keep you posted of my life in the far East! Current posts reflect my Chinese adventures nowadays whereas older posts touch upon all that I have done in India. Have fun reading!

Tuesday, 16 December 2008

Jaipur Baby!

The old centre with red-painted buildings.. A lake palace as from a fairy tale.. An impressive fortress surrounded by foothills, and of course the ever present zoo on the streets with a blend of cows, camels, elephants, pigs, goats, monkeys and dogs.. Last weekend it was Jaipur time!

Jaipur is the capital of the biggest Indian state of Rajastan and is nicknamed ‘the Pink city’. Origin of this is the pink / red colour of the buildings in the old centre, painted in this shade to honour some British monarch upon his visit a couple of centuries ago. The city is perfect for a weekend trip, as the close proximity to Delhi makes it easy to reach and the sightseeing can easily be done within two days.

The journey back and forth by local bus is something I have gotten used to by now, a token of my integration in this subcontinent. Overcrowded streets were, in contrast to Delhi, mainly used by non-motorised vehicles and the classic bicycle rickshaw still flourishes in Jaipur, whereas in Delhi they are almost completely extinguished. Also representatives of the Animal Kingdom are more present in this city compared to the capital. :D

Most impressive during the weekend was the trip to Amber Fort; the journey uphill by elephant and the great view from the fortressed foothills surrounding the castle. Apart from the standardized version of the city palace that can be found in every town this fort was worth visiting and represents somewhat what one would expect of the ancient India. Of course the elephants only added to this image. ;)

On one of the platforms our version of the ‘Benny Lava’ dance was shot, though we had to add the music afterwards. Please enjoy this high quality dancing. :)